Method and apparatus for maintaining insulation



2,969,027 Patented Jan. 24, 1961 METHOD AND APPARATUS FR MAINTAININGINSULATION Carroll C. Figge, Batavia, Ill. (315 W. Madison St., Chicago,Ill.)

Filed Apr. 30, 1956, Ser. No. 581,609

4 Claims. (Cl. 5016) This invention relates in general to the care andconservation of heat lconserving insulation for houses and otherstructures and is more particularly described in connection with roofand Wall insulation in houses.

It is common practice in building structures to insert insulatingmaterial by applying la fluffy mass of asbestos, iiber glass, or fibrouspadding between the inner and outer walls of a building and between theceiling and 'lloor of an overlying room, to pour `a hardening insulatingmaterial between the inner and outer walls and over the top of a room,and to apply a fibrous board in the roof or ceiling of a structure, forthe purpose `of retaining the heat in cold weather, and to prevent theadmission of heat in warm weather.

The present invention relates more particularly to the application ofinsulation in the form of a porous board of cork, Celotex and similarmaterial on top of a substantially at roof deck where it is subject notonly to deterioration due to moisture 4and vapor from Within thebuilding and also to liquid and the weather from the outside of theinsulation. If this insulation is enclosed by partially saturatedrooting material `at the inside of the insulation and by a commercialroofing applied at the outside, the -vapors Iand liquids which permeatethe roofing material may soon cause the insulation to be so filled withdirt, vapor and liquid that it becomes soggy and loses its nsulatingvalue for the purpose intended.

The present invention relates to the provision of means for 'aeratingenclosed insulation and maintaining the pores and air spaces thereoffree from vapor, liquid and dirt which tend to clog the insulation,destroying the insulating value or causing it to be much impaired.

An important object of the invention is in the provision of means whichmay be inserted within roofs already provided with insulation or builtinto new roofs having such insulation for circulating lair continuouslyor periodically through the insulation by means of suction or a blower.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roof ventilator whichmay be installed through a layer of insulation, sealed or partiallysealed on both sides to which a pressure or suction line may be appliedfor causing circulation of air through the insulation.

A further object of the Vinvention is to equip roofs or other structureshaving enclosed insulation with iittings which will act as a drain forremoving moisture from the roof and from the insulation and to which apressure or suction line may be connected for blowing or sucking liquidfrom the insulation discharging it through the outrlet and aerating theinsulation.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a -metho'd ofmaintaining and improving roof and wall insulation for houses and otherstructures, by installing fityand pressure to eiect the removal ofobjectionable liquids and gases from the insulation and to apply air andgases under pressure to the insulation `for cleaning, maintaining andimproving it.

Still ya further object of the invention is to provide a combinedfitting extending through enclosed insulation having a strainer or aremovable cover for preventing objectionable materials to pass into thetting and having a discharge pipe extending therefrom for the removal ofliquids and gases and having means for communication with the insulationthrough which it passes for applying air and gases to the insulation andremoving them` therefrom and also for permitting a drainage of liquidsthrough the discharge and strainer of the fitting.

Other objects of the invention will appear in lthe specification andwill be more apparent from .the -accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. l is a perspective View of a portion of an insulated roof inaccordance with the method of this invention in which there is a centralfitting and a number of spaced fittings for carrying out the method.

Fig. 2 is `a sectional View of `a iitting as applied to an enclosedrooting insulation in laccordance with this invention, with bracketedparts which are used with the lling.

Water may be present in roof insulation of this type from shipping andstorage before being applied to a roof, and when applied, it m-ay takeup moisture in the form of liquid from getting wet on the roof before it-is protected by `a cover `and vapor from lthe inside of a building maydevelop into moisture which condenses in the insulation after it isapplied. After installation, the roof may leak and water gets into theinsulation where it accumulates due to the vapor barrier underlying it.When water gets into insulation, it lessens its efliciency, as it speedsup the= transmission of heat by conduction. Water is yalso converted byheat into vapor causing the roofing to blister and disintegrate and thewhole mass of roofing and insulation must be replaced in a relativelyshort time.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for removing waterfrom the insulation in the following ways: By `a gravity pull on thewater content which may be designated as free drainage; by absorptioncaused by contact with a suitable surface such as capillary attraction;and by an evaporation area exposed to air so that moisture works to thesurface and is picked up and carried away by the air current. Thus theapplicants, method is to maintain insulation by passing air through itwhen it is needed to dry it out.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it is now customary ytoapply a relatively thick layer of insulation 10 to a roof deck 12 and toenclose the insulation by a number of plies of roofing material 14 ontop of the roof `deck and below the insulation and to cover theinsulation by a number of plies 'of roofing material 16. These enclosingcovers are usually cemented together by `a bituminous adhesive and Iareintended to be vaporproof and water-proof, but proper roofing which issaid yto be saturated with water impervious materials is not socompletely impregnated as to entirely exclude vapors from within abuilding nor to prevent a certain seepage of moisture either fromleakage or standing water from the outside cover. The result sometimesis that the insulation 10 becomes soggy or permeated with water vaporwhich gradually turns into Water and thus the insulation losesprotecting value.

The insulating material may be formed of various cellular materials suchas Celotex, ground cork, felted materials such as asbestos and berglass, but for roof insulation, a thick board-like layer of one or twoinches thick is now commonly provided depending upon the nature of thebuilding to which it is applied.

The present invention is applied to `a building insulation structure forwalls or for rpofs. A pressure head or a plurality of pressure heads 1.8as shown in Fig. 2 are therefore applied through the insulation .and@91,1811 ,the n' closing covers therefor to provide means formaintaining the insulation in a dry condition by aerating lit either bya flow of air under pressure or under suction.V l'

Each pressure head has a central hollow'Y metal sleeve 20 with externalthreads 22 at each -end and with internal `threads 24 at the upper orouter end. This sleeve 20 is preferably of a length sufiicient to extendthrough the insulation it) and the roofing material 14 and 16 at the.lower and upper sidesv of the main body of the insulation which areintended to enclose it.

At the 4lower end of the sleeve 20 is a fitting 26 which has anupper endAlarger in diameter than Vthe sleeve 20 and connected tothelower-'threadsy 22 by an inwardly extending threaded portion 30 whichhas openings 28 all VVaround the outside vof the sleeve 20. The outsideof this upper portion is provided with external threads 32 and belowthis threaded portion is a downwardly converging funnel 34 with areduced seat 36 for a removable plug v.38 having a knob 40 and of anexternal diameter less than the internal diameter of the sleeve 20 sothat the plug may be manually inserted and removed through the upper endof the sleeve when desired.

" The lower end of the seat 36 is inserted into a drain pipe'42 to whichit is connected at itsV upper tianged end by a babbitt joint 43 or `anyother suitable connection.

To more completely seal the insulation around the pressure head, aperforated plate`44`much larger in'extent thanv the pressure head issecured to the upper external threads 22 lby a threaded neck 45 which'has' av down'- WardlyVV inclined portionV 46 at its inner peripherywhih 4together with the upper end of the sleeve 20 forms a depressedseat for a flange 47 of a packing gland 48 which is threaded upon theinternal threads 22 for clamping the ytiverlying plies of roofingmaterial 16 tightly in place, the top of the ange being substantiallylevel or below the buter level of the outside pliesof the roofingmaterial so that water collecting upon the roof will flow freely intothe sleeve 20 through the packing gland. For a free ow of liquid throughthe pressure head, the plug 38 is manually moved and theplug 38 should'therefore be collapsible or no larger than the inside opening of thepacking gland yThus the upper perforated plate 44 is sealed in place ontop of the insulation 10 by cover plies 16 ofroofing material above andbelow the plate to make a rm waterproofing connection aroundthe pressurehead and with the remainder of the roof.

In a like manner, an extending plate 49 having an internally threadedhub" 51 is "connected to the external threads 32`of the iitting 26 atthe upper level of the infwardly extending portion `30 thereof. Thisplate is also connected by enclosing plies 14 below the insulation 10,above and belowtheexte'ndig portion ofthe plate 49, the plies 14overlying the plate terminating at the outer 'periphery of Vthe drainopenings 28l and the plies below plate 49 terminating at the outsideofthe hub`51. These plies are cementdogeth'eftthe "roof deck and to theplate 49 byY hfunnnousor otheradhesive material n a well' known mannerto make a relatively waterproof joint..

Liquid which may b'e present in'th'e insulation 10 will be directed bythe adjacent plies 14 into the rdrain openings 28 at the periphery ofthe sleeve`2'0 and will be directed jointly in the funnel portion 34 andthrough the seat 36 and into the drain pipe 42 when`the plug`38 isremoved.

To install this. pressure head in aroot which isv alreadyl provided withinsulation and the upper andl lower.r covers therefor, it is necessary,to make ia hole through vthem .slightly larger thany the sizeof@ thenpressure `hea`d, and 4tinakea corresponding 'holefintheroof deck throughwhich the lower end fitting ofthe pressure head enanas,

yIn applying pressure heads of this kind, itis a relatively s1mplematter to set or build them in place while the roof is being completed.After a roof has been completed, it is frequently necessary to remove amuch larger portion of the insulation and rooting material to set thepressure head and its projecting plates in position and to build theinsulation and rooting material around them.

At the top of the pressure head is a cap 50 which is firmly .secured inplace preferably ,by threading it in .the internal threads of the gland48 if it is desired to seal the upper end of the pressure head. When thepressure head is left open at .the top, a removable wire strainer 52 maybe applied withinthe packing gland 48 having outwardly bent'extremitieswhich t'within the gland 48 to hold it in place. The extremities of thestrainer may be connected by an inner collar which holds them in spacedrelation and connects them together for insertion into the packinggland.

To connect power means 56 `to the pressure head, a fixed or flexiblehose 58 is connected to a short pipe 6 0 through a removable pressurecap 62 which has external threads for `engaging the internal threadsofthe packing gland 48 when the cap 50 is removed.

To apply pressure or suction through any pressure head, the plug 38 isfirst removed in the lower tapering s ejat 36 of the pressure headfitting, the pressure cap 62` isvapplied at the upper end of thepressure hfad and air or gas under suction or pressure is then appliedthrough the openings 28 ofthe pressure head in direct communication withthe insulation yand radiating or extending in all dirstons therefrom Inpower operation, this method `for maintaining insulatipn in orinsulating conditiompower means 5:6 Afor applying pressure or suction isconnected tov any one of the pressure heads but preferably to Vacentralhead relative Vto other4 pressure heads B which may be located atspaced distances from the pressure head AQ Pressure Vor suction may beapplied to any oneof the heads `*and if used in connection with a numberof other pressure heads B, the latter will be open at the top andclosingsplugs 38 arespaced in the bottoms of the pressure heads whichwill confine theflow of air to the insulation between the pressure headA and the various other pressure heads spaced therefrom. A

In some cases, it is found desirable to withdraw air' from a centralpressure head and in other eases the "air rnay be forced into a centralpressure head. Itis also possible toiadditionally control other pressureheads B by applying closing'caps 50 thereto with the plugs 38l in place'which will tend to shut off` the air under pressurje or suction fromthat pt artsular. heatilll/ith' the construction shown in Fig. 2, anyquestion of moisture within the vinsulation will tend to flow down-Weftlly @web theopenines 28 O f that uartisuler head when the plug `38is rembved and Ya flowof air through the insulation'will be induced bythe'passage of water from the top of the roof through the pressure headand into theA drain pipe. A downward iliow of water through the drainpipe tends to pull air i* through the openings 28 from the insulationthus causing an` automatic displacement of air and a suction in theinsulation.

'It may be advisable at times to close all or some of the pressure headsboth at the top by `applying the caps 5 0 and fat thevbottom byapplying.the'plugsY 38, but under ordinary conditions, it'isb'est toremove the capsr'and plugs unless suction or pressure is to be appliedindividually `to the pressure heads or to a plurality of thern asdescribed.A s

While a preferred construction and operation o f this invention has beendescribed in some detail, it should be regarded by way of illustrationand example rather than asl a restriction or limitation thereof, a-smany changes in the construction, combination and arrangement"of theparts may be made without departing from the'spiritand scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A hollow pressure head for aerating roof insulation enclosed by upperand lower covers substantially impervious to liquids, comprising asleeve open at the top and bottom and of a length to extend through theinsulation and covers, a fitting with a top larger than the sleevesecured around the bottom end of the sleeve,`

means securing the top of the sleeve and the outer edge of the top ofthe fitting to the covers with the insulation between them, the fittinghaving openings at the top thereof and outside of the ysleeve tocommunicate with the insulation and with a lower funnel-shaped portionwhich tends to cause a suction of air and liquid through said openingswhen liquid passes downwardly from the roof through the sleeve forthereby drying the insulation.

2. A hollow pressure head for aerating roof insulation enclosed by upperand lower covers substantially irnpervious to liquids, comprising asleeve open at the top and bottom and of `a length to extend through theinsulation and covers, a fitting with a top larger than the sleevesecured around the bottom end of the sleeve, means securing the top ofthe sleeve and the outer edge of the top of the fitting to the coverswith the insulation between them, the tting having openings at the topthereof and outside of the sleeve to communicate with the insulation andwith a lower funnel-shaped portion which Itends to cause a suction ofair and liquid through said openings when liquid passes downwardly fromthe roof through the sleeve, said means comprising plates extendingoutwardly from the sleeve and fitting above and below the insulation andsealed thereto by said covers to provide a substantially fluid-tightconnection.

3. A pressure head in accordance with claim 2, in which the top platehas a downwardly inclined portion adjacent the sleeve for seating theupper cover therein, and a packing gland secured in the top of thesleeve, said gland having an outwardly extending flange over the uppercover so as to squeeze the upper cover between the flange of the glandand said top plate to form a flush connection between the upper cover ofthe roof and the top of the drain so that roof Water Will drain throughsaid sleeve.

4. A pressure head in accordance with claim 1, having a removable cap totit tightly at the top of the sleeve, and a removable plug seated insaid funnel shaped portion at the bottom of the sleeve and removablethrough the sleeve from the top thereof when the cap is removed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,180,018 Degnon Apr. 18, 1916 1,931,066 Eckert Oct. 17, 1933 2,121,789Davey June 28, 1938 2,156,890 Wuringer May 2, 1939 2,324,545 SvirskyJuly 20, 1943 2,455,320 Stephens Nov. 30, 1948 2,553,881 Suttles May 22,1951 2,619,920 Lindquist Dec. 2, 1952 2,623,364 Munters Dec. 30, 19522,703,911 Griin Mar. 15, 1955 2,833,229 Donegan May 6, 1958

